Happy Place

Would you rip up your current life and reinvent yourself if you had the chance? Do you have desires you’d want to explore? Maybe there are hidden parts of yourself you’ve never had the chance to get to know? Which societal rules would you want to ignore? Author Miranda July asks all these questions in October’s Happy Place Book Club novel: All Fours. She picks apart how we can fall into the monotony of every day routine instead of acknowledging the wild emotions and longings inside us. In this chat, Fearne and Miranda talk about fluctuating hormones, pressures of motherhood, sexual fantasies (some of which may or may not involve tampons), and menopause as an incredibly exciting and sacred transitional period. Fearne asks Miranda to help her be even more painfully unfiltered in her own writing, while Miranda exclusively reveals how she originally intended the novel to end. Plus, what about this book made Fearne say it was the ‘one of the hottest, sexiest things’ she’d ever read...?Thank you to Canongate Books for the use of All Fours audiobook, read by Miranda July. Listen to Book Club Meets: Gillian Anderson Listen to Book Club Meets: Patric Gagne Listen to Book Club Meets: Holly Gramazio Listen to Book Club Meets: Sofie Hagen

A panic attack can feel like you’re dying from a heart attack; this is something former Little Mix member Perrie Edwards has experienced numerous times over the last few years. In this chat, Perrie talks about how her anxiety feels like her adult is ‘going offline’, leaving the child in her crying for help, and Fearne shares how she’s managed to stop having panic attacks (for now, at least). You might be good at advocating for the people you love, but how good are you at advocating for yourself and your own needs? Possibly a bit rubbish? Perrie explains how she’s got better at speaking her mind, as well as getting emotional about how important friendships are to her. Plus, why do Fearne and Perrie both reckon the term ‘hands-on dad’ can fuck right off...? Perrie’s new single, You Go Your Way, is out now. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Jesy Nelson Leigh-Anne Pinnock Poppy Delbridge

It’s ADHD Awareness Month, so Fearne’s reflecting on some of the conversations she’s had about neurodiversity on the show that’ll hopefully help you understand either yourself, or someone you love, even better... First, what are the signs and symptoms of ADHD? Do you recognise more of the hyperactive & impulsive symptoms like rashly spending money and substance addiction, or the inattentive ones like problems with working memory and organisation? Then there’s chat about how having undiagnosed ADHD can lead to mental health problems, why there’s so much shame in the neurodivergent community, and how to advocate for your needs in the workplace. Can ADHD be managed with lifestyle factors like nutrition and movement, or might you or a loved one benefit from medication? Plus, why it’s so important to differentiate between neurodivergence and the emotional dysregulation everyone can experience. Watch Dr Shy Mashru on What Is How To Listen to Gemma Style’s episode Listen to Alex Partridge’s episode Listen to Jordan Stephen’s episode Listen to Lucinda Miller’s episode Listen to Kate Silverton’s episode

You can choose to be bitter, or you can choose to be at peace. This is something Tulisa has learnt after numerous testing life experiences: that we each have the power to choose contentment over anger.In this chat with Fearne, Tulisa talks about the real sink or swim moments that could have seen her drown, but helped build resilience instead, including multiple high profile court cases.She explains how she’s got to a point where she genuinely doesn’t mind if she’s liked or not – something Fearne wants to learn how to get better at – as well as how being a young carer for her mum still affects her today.Plus, Tulisa explains the strange reason Britney Spears has a British accent in the song Scream & Shout...If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Matt Haig YungBlud Zayn

Botox, fillers, and surgeries – you’re judged if you do and you’re judged if you don’t. Love Islander & documentary maker Olivia Attwood is clear that the critical narrative about women’s looks is just a tactic used to control us regardless of what we choose to do to our bodies. In this chat, live from the Happy Place Festival, Fearne and Olivia ask if our mental health is suffering in our pursuit of physical perfection. Plus, they’re both candid about what work they have and haven’t had done. Olivia also opens up about how fearful and shy she used to be. Maybe you often feel blocked by a lack of self-confidence; Olivia explains how making a point of putting herself in situations that scared her helped build her self-worth. Olivia Attwood’s ITV2 show ‘Bad Boyfriends’ is out now on ITV and ITVX, and episodes of her podcast So Wrong It’s Right drop every Thursday. Stick two fingers up to beauty standards – listen to our body image episode!  

Do you get stage fright? You might not be an actor but perhaps you feel the fear when it comes to work presentations or small talk at parties... well, even critically acclaimed actor David Tennant has anxieties around performing under pressure. He reckons little bit of fear can be good to keep you from getting complacent though... In this chat, Fearne and David talk through how to work through those moments when you feel your brain is going to give up on you. The naivety of youth can give you a sense of self-confidence, but with age comes the security of having more concrete experiences of things going well to drawn on. This is a really useful coping mechanism to have in your back pocket for when anxiety starts to creep in. Plus, LGBTQ+ ally David gives his take on whether celebrities like him should use their voice for social activism, and verifies some of the stories Fearne read online about him... The Rivals is on Disney+ from October 18th. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Jason DonovanBillie PiperDawn French

You’re more capable than you think you are. Footballer Leah Williamson has learnt that setbacks are often an opportunity to prove and strengthen your resilience. In this chat with Fearne, Leah explains how getting through a major injury has made her love the person she is now more than the one she was before because of the way she looks after herself. Leah talks about the importance of listening to your own body, and trusting what it’s trying to tell you rather than ignoring or overriding it. There’s also food for thought on why we shouldn’t feel guilty for taking proper time out from our relentless lives.If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Sarina Wiegman Molly McCann Iwan Thomas

Do you A) assume everyone probably hates you? B) react impulsively to criticism? C) feel intense shame about the way your brain works? These are all things UNILAD founder Alex Partridge has felt across his life, but at 34 he was diagnosed with ADHD and his character started to make a little more sense...In this chat with Fearne, live from the Happy Place Festival, Alex explains how his diagnosis allowed him to reframe the characteristics he had previously been troubled by, turning shame into compassion.If you personally don’t have a neurodivergent brain, you probably work with someone, have a family member, or are in a relationship with someone who does, so Alex talks through ways you can help create an environment for them to thrive in.Plus, there are loads of really practical coping mechanisms you can enact yourself if you’re the anxious one, or the one with ADHD. Listen to Alex’s podcast, ADHD Chatter. If you liked this episode of Happy Place, you might also like: Gemma Styles Lucinda Miller Jordan Stephens